Dragon Rider- Everlasting Claws (ALTERNATE ENDING)
by Dread Locksman
Summary: I din't like the way Dragon Rider ended, so I wrote an alternate ending in which Ben ends up staying with Firedrake. Plus, at one point in the book, Firedrake says that if he drove away a hundred humans, a thousand more would return. Let's see what happens when this is actually put to the test. Rated T for violence, mild language, and thematic material.
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1 The Sole Raven

When Firedrake, Maia, Ben, Twigleg, Sorrel, and Burr-Burr Chan flew back to the monastery two nights after the battle, they believed Nettlebrand was defeated and all the ravens had gone.

But they were terribly wrong.

True, all the ravens that had once been loyal to Nettlebrand had flown off, but only one of them remained. This sole raven continued to remain dedicated to Nettlebrand, even after he was melted and reduced to a frog. The raven also knew that water was one of Nettlebrand's main sources of power, and could possibly bring him back to his monstrous self.

So when Firedrake and Maia were helping Shimmertail awake from his frozen state, the raven flew down quietly to the bank where the toad that gave Nettlebrand its life sat undisturbed. The raven picked up the toad in its little talons and, looking around to make sure no one was watching, glided to the giant lake and plopped the toad into the water. The raven perched by the bank and waited.

The toad rotated slowly underwater for a few moments like a human child's rag doll. Slowly, steadily, Nettlebrand's dark memories began to kick in.

 _My beautiful golden armour,_ Nettlebrand recalled. _The alchemist, whom I ate, along with the eight little manikins…_

 _Hunting dragons…_

 _Twigleg… following Twigleg…_

 _The dragon… with the boy and that troublesome brownie…_

 _Finding the Rim of Heaven, only to come across that rat and her annoying little metal buzzard…_

 _The dwarf polishing my armour…_

 _The two dragons…_ Nettlebrand recoiled in shock, horror, and fury. _They_ _ **melted**_ _me…_

Little by little, the memories and the magical effect of the water began to change Nettlebrand back into his old monstrous form, but without his golden armour. He growled in confusion and rage at being defeated, but hid in the shadows of the lake, knowing that trying to fight back would be suicide. Cautiously, he made his image appear in the water.

"Raven!" Nettlebrand whispered angrily. "What in blazes just happened to me? Why I did I just suddenly melt like that? You tell me right now, you featherhead!"

"Master," the raven spoke, "I didn't see it happen, but heard the dragons' conversation afterwords. The manikin had mixed the brownie's spit in with the armor polish. Brownie's spit and dragon's fire can cause anything made of solid gold to melt. That's how they managed to defeat you."

Nettlebrand was seething with fury. _How could I have fallen for that dirty trick!_ he thought.

Nettlebrand remained in the water pouting to himself, too angry, and yet, too defeated to think of what to do next.

Then he had an idea.

Nettlebrand's red eyes grew wide, and his mouth formed a gnarly grin. He couldn't help but make a fiendish chuckle.

"Master?" the raven questioned.

Nettlebrand turned to the bird. "Search the nearest human village, and find me anything made of silver," Nettlebrand said in an unusually calm voice. "I need a new armour."

 _Maybe brownie's spit and dragon's fire can melt gold,_ Nettlebrand thought. _But what about_

 _silver?_ He smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2 Ben Changes His Mind

Nighttime was almost over at the monastery, but the full moon continued to glow and thousands of stars twinkled in the sky. The two dragons flew around the mountainside with several monks riding on their backs, laughing with childish glee. Firedrake and Maia then landed steadily on the courtyard and let the monks climb off. Ben, Twigleg, Sorrel, Burr-Burr Chan, Lola Graytail, and the Greenblooms went up to the dragons.

"We'll stay here for a bit to prepare, then we'll set off," Firedrake said to Maia.

Maia smiled, her eyes filled with hope. "I can't wait to see your clan, Firedrake. I just hope we can make it there in a short time," she said.

"We will," Firedrake responded. "You'll see."

"We all wish you good luck and a safe journey," said Professor Greenbloom. "However I'm afraid we should be going. Our ferry leaves rather early."

"Goodbye, Firedrake!" said Vita and Guinevere. "Good luck!"

Ben looked at Firedrake, with Twigleg sitting on his shoulder. Ben was trying his hardest not to show it, but he felt like his world was coming to an end. _I'm leaving my most important friend. How can this really be?_

Finally Firedrake spoke. "You take of yourself now, Ben. As well as Twigleg. I swear to you we will see each other again."

Ben only nodded, his throat parched. "I will," he managed to get out. He smiled faintly. He walked up to Sorrel, who was busy stuffing her backpack with food.

"I'll see you later, then," Ben said to Sorrel.

"See you later, too," Sorrel responded, then resumed packing.

"Sorrel?" Ben asked.

Sorrel scoffed. "What?" she asked.

Ben reached behind his neck and took off a little golden necklace with a six-pointed star. He put it in Sorrel's paws.

"Wow," she said, entranced. "Even if it's gold, it still looks pretty."

Ben smiled. "It's called a Star of David. It's very special. It'll protect you from all sorts of evil."

Ben took the necklace and clipped it around Sorrel's neck.

"So you'll remember me," Ben said.

Sorrel looked at the golden star and blushed, then looked away. But then glanced at Ben. "Thanks," she said before she started packing again.

Ben went to Maia and Burr-Burr Chan.

"Have a safe journey," he said.

"We'll tell you all about it when we meet again," said Maia.

"I'll certainly be telling about you, Dragon Rider, to all the dragons in the west," Burr-Burr Chan declared. "I never doubted you for a second! You're a legend, you are!"

Ben smiled, then looked at Firedrake.

"Bye, Firedrake," Ben murmured with a weak smile, then turned and walked away with the Greenblooms. _Bye?_ Ben thought. _That's all?_

…..

The Greenblooms, Ben and Twigleg began walking down the long staircase from the monastery. The staircase was long indeed, and very steep, built alongside the edge of a tall mountain.

"I can't wait to find Pegasus!" cheered Guinevere. Laughing, she skipped happily down the steps.

"Careful, don't trip," said Vita. "All the same, let's be thankful that Ben and Twigleg staying with us."

"Of course!" said the Professor. "It's certainly splendid to have you in the family, Ben!"

"Yes, it sure is," Ben responded with a feigned grin. He had trailing behind the Greenblooms since the left the monastery. As the Professor went on about the future schooling activities and field trip plans for the family, Ben was lost in his own troubled thoughts. He had been alone for many long times in his life, but the boy had never felt this hollow before.

 _It's like a dream that ended too soon._

 _I'm leaving Firedrake forever… why? How could this be? I feel like I've finally found a new home and I'm just throwing it away? Professor Greenbloom and his family are wonderful, at least. At least I'll have a new family._

 _But how am I gonna fit in where they live? Is this it then? Going back to school? Getting into trouble? The streets?_

Ben remembered his days on the streets, his days of homelessness. How he had to fight every day and night for something to eat. He remembered his friends who fell to drugs and violence, and even the corrupt people who neglected him.

 _So that's it then? I'm going back to being alone all over again?_

Then Ben thought of Firedrake. The brave, spirited silver dragon who rescued him. Took him in. Treated him like his brother.

 _How can I just leave him?_

Ben stopped.

"Young master?" Twigleg asked. Ben ignored him.

 _I can't do this anymore._

 _I can only listen to my own heart._

Ben made up his mind.

"You alright, Ben?" Guinevere asked. The Greenblooms had stopped in their tracks and were looking at Ben with concern. Ben just looked at Guinevere for a few seconds, and then picked up Twigleg by the collar and placed him absentmindedly on Guinevere's shoulder.

"Look after him for me, will you?" said Ben.

"Ben, what's going on?" asked Professor Greenbloom. Ben's heart was racing at excessive speed, and his hands were trembling. He felt like he was going to completely lose control of himself any second.

"Professor," murmured Ben, "I'm sorry… but I choose Firedrake… Goodbye."

Ben turned and bolted up the stairs like he was trying to escape a predator. All he could think about was getting back to Firedrake, and he hoped to God he hadn't left yet.

"Ben!" called Guinevere. "Wait!" Ben blocked out her cries and ran faster. He had run many times in his life, usually from policemen or gangsters, but now he was running back for his only true friend.

It took about ten minutes for Ben to reach the monastery. It was still dark, but the moon was almost gone. Ben, covered in sweat, rushed into the hall and looked around in a frenzy.

"Firedrake!" Ben cried. "Firedrake, where are you? Sorrel? Maia!"

Ben sprinted out to the courtyard. No one was there. Ben looked around in sheer desperation.

"Firedrake!" Ben called out, looking up at the starry sky. "Don't go!" He ran up to the edge of the cliff and glanced across the horizon. The very faint light of dawn was breaking.

"No… No!" Ben cried. "Firedrake, please!" he called in heaven-splitting agony. "I've changed my mind! I want to go with you! I wanna be with you, and the dragons! Just… just don't leave me alone…" Ben was close to tears as he glared aimlessly at the horizon. "Don't leave me… don't leave me…"

"I'm not going anywhere," Ben heard a voice behind him, and his heart almost stopped. Quickly wiping the tears from his face and maintaining himself, Ben turned around and looked up at Firedrake.

"Did you really think we were going to leave now?" the dragon said with gentle mockery.

Ben couldn't help but chuckle with relief. Firedrake could see the pain in the boy's eyes, and lowered his head and nuzzled him. Ben pressed his head against Firedrake's.

"Firedrake," Ben began, "I-"

He was cut off by a sudden flash of lights and the deafening sound of a windstorm. Firedrake and Ben looked up in surprise. Several military helicopters were hovering above the monastery! The monks poured out into the courtyard to see what was happening. Just then, the helicopters launched tear gas at Firedrake and Ben. The fumes rose up in the air, and the dragon roared and lashed about in confusion and rage.

Ben, lost in the inferno, stumbled along coughing and panting, trying to find a way out. He didn't get far, for he felt the arms of a big man in a uniform wrap around his waist, and was pulled up into the sky.

 _Not again!_ Ben thought.

When the fumes subsided, Firedrake watched as the airborne machines carried off the struggling boy. He roared in fury at them. Maia, Sorrel, Burr-Burr Chan, and Lola Graytail stumbled out of the monastery in alarm, followed by the Greenblooms.

"What, in the name of all ferocious fungi, is going on?" shrieked Sorrel.

"What's all this smoke? It's stinging my eyes!" coughed Burr-Burr Chan.

"Yes, how am I supposed to fly in this mess?" complained Lola.

Firedrake turned to his companions. "Ben's been kidnapped!"

"Kidnapped?" gasped Maia. "By who? That giant roc?"

"Humans," growled Firedrake. "They caught us by surprise. They came down riding in these loud flying machines and they took Ben away with them."

"Oh, master!" Twigleg cried from Guinevere's shoulder. "What are we going to do?"

"Those machines must've been helicopters," pointed out Professor Greenbloom. "In that case, the people who took Ben must be the military, or some other sort."

"Which way did they go?" asked Guinevere. Firedrake pointed his snout down south.

"That way," he said. "Down the ravine, towards the beach. I'm going after them." The dragon stretched out his giant wings.

"Are you crazy, Firedrake?" cried Sorrel. "It's almost sunrise! You'll never make it on time! Not only that, the last time I checked, Ben had the magic moonlight dew with him!"

"I have to get Ben," confirmed Firedrake. "There's no other choice." With one powerful beat, Firedrake launched into the sky and flew down the ravine in hot pursuit of the helicopters.

"I'm going after him," said Maia. "Anyone who wants to join me is welcome."

Twigleg and Guinevere were the first ones to volunteer.

"What are you doing?" said Professor Greenbloom.

"Dad, come on!" said Guinevere. "We can't leave Ben and Firedrake behind! They need help!" Professor Greenbloom didn't know what to do. Being up in the air made him get vertigo easily. But his friend was in trouble, and he knew he had to do something.

"Don't worry," Vita comforted her husband. "Just hold onto me, and when we're up in the sky, just close your eyes."

Maia noticed the human's anxiety and smiled. "I promise I won't go fly too fast."

"Uh…" stammered the professor. "Uh… a-alright," he said, pulling himself together. "Alright, then. I'm in."

Maia lowered herself and cocked her head. "Get on."

Guinevere helped her father and mother up onto Maia's back, along with Sorrel and Burr-Burr, who helped them with the straps.

"Go on ahead," shouted Lola. "I'll catch up," and she ran back inside to monastery to fetch her little plane.

With a few wingbeats, Maia and her passengers were in the air and gliding down the mountainside. Twigleg held onto Guinevere's earlobe. Professor Greenbloom wrapped his arms tightly around Guinevere and shut his eyes.

"Oh, Lord!" he gasped. In return, Vita held onto him from behind.

After a minute the sunlight began to peak over the horizon, and Maia began to slow down.

"I can only go as far as where the river to the ocean starts., them we'll have to run from there," the dragoness stated.

Professor Greenbloom opened his eyes a little, as his vertigo was overcome with a very suspicious feeling.

"What I really want to know is," he mumbled, "who _are_ the people who took Ben, and what do they want?"


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3 Anthony Greenbloom

Inside the loud helicopter Ben sat immobilized in between two tough, steely eyed soldiers. Ben wasn't handcuffed, but each soldier kept a good grip on each one of teen's arms. He had stopped struggling and had just shut down, refusing to let the brutes get to him. Not a minute had gone by when Ben slowly awoke from his confusion and terror and noticed a man facing him.

The man appeared to be in his mid- thirties. His hair was neatly trimmed and was wearing a business suit. He had an uptight look on his face. There was a small briefcase at his feet.

"Uh, hello?" the man asked Ben in an elegant, snobbish accent. "Do I have your attention yet?" Incredulous, Ben looked at him, and noticed a small name tag clipped on his white buttoned shirt.

"Greenbloom?" Ben read, his eyebrows raised.

"I assume you've already met my brother," the man smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dr. Anthony Greenbloom."

"What _kind_ of doctor?" Ben suspiciously raised an eyebrow.

"I work for the government," Greenbloom responded. "But, of course, I major in archaeology, anthropology, biology, and mythology, and last but not least- the study of fabulous beings, as my pathetic brother puts it."

Ben looked around the loud, metal hovercraft. "What is this? What's going on?" Ben demanded. "Why are you doing this?"

Greenbloom's expression didn't falter. "A little over a month ago, a peculiar incident took place in an abandoned factory in King's Cross in London. Two eyewitnesses claim they encountered a large, fire- breathing dragon in the basement."

Greenbloom kept his eyes on Ben and told the story as if he had rehearsed it. Ben saw it was no use acting like he didn't know anything. "Parliament decided to disclose the story and lay off the two workers in order to not create any suspicions. A few days later, however, this surfaced." He took a laptop out of his briefcase and tapped a few keys before turning the screen to Ben.

"Turns out," he explained, "somebody found a surveillance camera in the basement, and it captured everything." Ben's eyes widened.

The laptop showed black-and-white footage of Ben and the two construction workers fighting.

"That's you, isn't it?" Anthony asked, pointing to the screen.

Ben watched the video of his struggle with the two men being suddenly interrupted by Firedrake, who appeared in a flash. The men dropped Ben and stared at the dragon in fear, and Ben scrambled up onto Firedrake's back.

"Go away," Firedrake growled in the video. "This boy is _mine_!" The men trembled and staggered in response. It was a moment Ben would always remember. Then Firedrake spewed blue fire at their feet, and they ran away in terror.

When the video finished playing, Ben stared at Greenbloom.

"You said it surfaced? How many people know about it?" he demanded.

Greenbloom smirked. "A lot." He looked up BBC news and showed Ben clips of TV anchors playing the authentic video and debating the existence of dragons. Ben didn't know whether to feel excited or terrified now that humans were starting to realize that dragons are real and still here.

"When the government proposed a top secret military investigation, I volunteered to lead it," said the doctor. "You see, I already knew much about dragons, especially silver dragons, thanks to Barnabas. But I could never provide any convincing evidence of dragons' existence… until now. After the video was released, I personally located the basement and collected material affected by the dragon fire. Then when I later found out that Barnabas was in Pakistan, I immediately knew where to look."

"How did you find us?" asked Ben.

"Most of the time I kept an eye on Barnabas while he was helping you, but at one point I sent out a helicopter to track you down."

Ben remembered that helicopter. When Ben, Firedrake, Sorrel, and Twigleg were resting atop the sea serpent, he noticed a helicopter pass by from a distance. It did not follow them like the raven did, but Ben sensed ill fortune from it. Humans spotting a dragon was just as bad as one of Nettlebrand's spies. Especially humans who worked for the government.

"So, what are you going to do here?" asked Ben, narrowing his eyebrows. "Are you gonna just capture all the dragons? Who the hell would listen to you?"

Anthony Greenbloom spread out his hands with a superior smile. "These guys would. Don't you realize just how incredible the discovery of a real, live dragon would be? My idiotic brother believes we should leave these beasts alone, but that's where he's wrong. Dragons are for the benefit of all mankind!"

"No!" Ben shouted. "You're deliberately capturing someone and taking him prisoner! This is why the dragons hate us! Because of what we did to them!"

"Ignorant twat," spat Greenbloom. "You think just because a dragon rescued you means we should welcome them? We can never be friends with dragons. But we don't have to kill them. Instead, we can use them to our advantage."

"Such as?" Ben asked bitterly.

"Defeating our enemies and solving world conflicts," he replied matter-of-factly.

Ben looked at Greenbloom with disgust and disbelief. "You're gonna use dragons as weapons of war? You're stupid. You have artillery and machinery and nuclear weapons at your own disposal. Why do want you dragons now?" Ben scoffed. "Besides, your big prize was right back at that monastery. Why did you capture _me_?"

"I noticed how that dragon has become attached to you," replied Anthony. "So, you're bait, and I will lure the dragon to the beach, where my men will be ready."

Ben chuckled. "You, _human_ , are no match for Firedrake. He is a lot stronger than you think, and yes, he will find me, and when he does, he will roast. Your. Arse."

"We'll see about that," Greenbloom snidely responded. "We have harpoons laced with purple yin poison. It was used by ancient Chinese assassins. The poison causes the victim's blood flow to reverse, resulting in death within thirty minutes. Of course, this type of poison is known to kill humans, but it is powerful enough to incapacitate a dragon, unless you strike at the heart."

Ben felt fearful for his friend's life, but fought to remain stoic. "And once you've captured the dragon, what do you plan to do to me?" Ben challenged. "Are you going to let me go, just like that? Doesn't it occur to you that I could have the law on you? That I could testify against you? What about Barnabas for that matter?"

"Oh yes," Greenbloom replied, typing away at his laptop. "Hardly anybody listens to Barnabas because he's an utter disgrace, but as for you, my delinquent, I did a little research on the video." He turned the laptop around, and Ben saw, much to his shock, a wanted notice with a picture of him.

"Turns out your whole name is Benjamin Isaac Hoffman Shaw," Anthony explained. "You are either sixteen or seventeen years of age. You were born in Sitka, Alaska, in the United States of America, but when you moved to Britain you were given birthright citizenship since your late father, Professor Jonathan Shaw, was British.

You ran away from your home in Hampshire and for the past three and a half years you lived on the streets of London. According to this document, there is a warrant out for your arrest due to your alleged involvement with street gangs, drug dealers, and other illegal activities."

Ben felt as if his own spirits had been sucked out from his body. Greenbloom smiled. "Did you know you had a warrant?"

"No." Ben glanced down.

"So, with that being said," the doctor sneered, "it looks like your dragon friend won't be the only one behind bars."

Ben stared at Greenbloom like an angry dog. "You'll pay for this," he growled.

"That's nice," Anthony said. "Like I said, kid, we can never be friends with dragons. It's either them or us. Since you sided with them, we'll treat you like them. Even if you weren't with them at all, you'd be worth nothing at all. This is all you'll ever be worth. Survival of the fittest, I guess."

Ben looked down, clenching his fists. _After everything I've been through, just for this._ His heart hung in his chest like a rock. _I'm sorry, Firedrake. I'm sorry._

…

 **And the plot thickens! Sorry for taking so long to publish this new chapter, since I suffer from severe writer's block. But I promise to have the rest of this story uploaded in the following weeks! Plus, I'll upload a short bio about Ben aka Benjamin Isaac Hoffman Shaw. I also plan to write a few sketches about Ben and the Family (I asked leroy118 for permission), and sometime I'll get back to** _ **The Dragon Who Fell From The Stars**_ **. For now, enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4 The Ugly Side of Human Beings

The helicopters reached the village in the early afternoon. As soon as they landed, the soldiers herded Ben out. Ben looked around, hoping to spot Zubeida. There were soldiers all over the place. Some were keeping the concerned villagers at bay, others were setting up their positions, loading and readying their weapons. They were carrying guns, harpoons, hooks, ropes, nets, and spears. They were all stationed right in the middle of the village.

Ben watched Anthony Greenbloom talk with the colonel from a distance. He couldn't hear their dialogue, so he paid attention to their facial expressions. The colonel was clad in his combat uniform and sported a red beret. He seemed slightly older than Greenbloom, and quite sturdy. He had a slightly bewildered look on his face as he wrapped his conversation with the doctor and walked back to his convertible jeep.

"How were you able to convince all these blokes in uniforms to come over here and occupy a harmless little village?" Ben asked Greenbloom.

"Simple," Greenbloom replied. "We informed them that this village had connections to a terrorist group, and everything from here on in was a piece of cake. People take things seriously these days." He looked at the two soldiers holding onto Ben.

"Don't let the kid get away, but make sure he's within the dragon's view," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the soldiers said, and marched Ben over to the colonel's jeep.

Ben couldn't believe what he was looking at. He had seen rumbles back in the city, police brutality, wealthy humans bullying the poor and weaker ones, but he had never seen the ugly side of human beings like this.

He saw Zubeida standing amongst the villagers. She looked at Ben with a worried look.

Just then, a loud roar sounded from the sky. Firedrake flew down from the mountains and landed before the army, ready to fight.

"Firedrake!" Ben called out.

"Now!" Greenbloom shouted.

"Fire!" the colonel barked.

The soldiers began throwing giant hooks and ropes and shooting harpoons at the dragon's legs, horns, and wings, pinning him. Firedrake snarled in anger and pain. No matter how much he struggled, the sharp, painful edges of the hooks and harpoons kept him down.

"No!" Ben cried. He tried to rush to Firedrake, but his captors restrained him.

"Drop the net!" the colonel spoke into a walkie-talkie, and from out of the sky, four helicopters dropped a giant, thick net on top of Firedrake. Firedrake was captured. The villagers angrily threw rocks and shouted insults at the soldiers, and they responded by shooting at the ground, close to their feet.

Ben angrily kicked and struggled against the soldiers.

"No!" he cried. "Please! Leave him alone! Stop this!"

The colonel looked at Anthony Greenbloom in disbelief and amazement. "Well, if that's no winged, fire-breathing beast from hell, then I don't know what is. Congratulations, Greenbloom." Greenbloom smiled. "It's not over yet. Let's put this bad boy to sleep." He opened a nearby bag and took out a large, glass bottle containing some dark substance.

 _Chloroform?!_ Ben realized. Firedrake growled menacingly at Greenbloom through the net, who smirked as he walked up to him with the bottle in his grasp.

"Hello, beastie," Greenbloom said. He hurled the bottle at the dragon's muzzle, smashing on impact. He roared in agony and repulsion.

Ben had had enough. To his right, he stomped on the first soldier's foot and grabbed his crotch. The moment he let go, Ben spun around and decked the second soldier before pushing him off. Without hesitation, he ran to Firedrake and hugged his muzzle tight.

"Firedrake," Ben choked, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Firedrake."

Firedrake looked at Ben in despair. He was clearly giving up.

"Why are these humans doing this?" Firedrake asked Ben. "I don't understand."

"I don't know, but I'm going to get you out of here. Just don't give up!" Ben replied.

"Get that kid out of here! He'll ruin everything!" Greenbloom barked. Three soldiers ran up to Ben and began to pull him away. Ben clung onto Firedrake.

"Firedrake!" he cried desperately.

The soldiers pulled him off with one tug.

"No! No! Leave him alone!" wailed Ben as the soldiers dragged him away to the jeep.

"Ben!" Firedrake called after him as the jeep drove away. Firedrake looked at Greenbloom. An intense rage Firedrake had never felt before suddenly overcame him. With a tremendous roar, the dragon erupted from the net and thrashed around the soldiers who were still holding onto the hooks and ropes attached to him like they were rag dolls.

"Everyone, retreat!" the colonel yelled. "Everyone to the beach, now!"

Firedrake stomped the ground, swung his tail, roared, and spew blue fire at the scattering army.

Teeth bared and muscles tense, Firedrake growled, "Hold on, Ben. I'm coming."

….

The jeep drove all the way down to the beach close by the river Indus, with the retreating army following close behind. Firedrake chased after the army like a mad lion. Two soldiers stopped in their tracks and opened fire on the dragon, but the bullets had no effect on his strong scales. He stomped on the soldiers with his left claw.

Ben watched in awe and fear.

"Get out of here!" Ben called out to Firedrake. "Just get out of here! Forget about me! They'll kill you!"

But Firedrake wasn't giving up.

"Let the boy go!" Firedrake roared. The moon-dew had lost its effect, and the sunlight was beating down on Firedrake, making him exhausted, but he was somehow determined to get to Ben. Ben looked to his left and saw a second army jeep with a mounted gun. Greenbloom took out a harpoon no bigger than a fisherman's spear and loaded it into the gun. The colonel carefully aimed at Firedrake's chest.

"Firedrake!" Ben shouted. "Look out!"

The colonel fired. Firedrake tried to dodge the spear, but it hit him in the right hind leg. Firedrake roared in pain. Ben felt his heart stop. He started to cry as he watched his only friend crumple to the ground. The purple yin crippling his leg, Firedrake crawled in agony towards the army by a few meters, then fell on his side. He saw Ben, his eyes swelling up tears.

"I'm sorry, Ben," moaned Firedrake. Ben collapsed his knees. His best friend, his only friend- his brother- was going to be killed. There was nothing he could do but look on. Ben had never felt this helpless.

"What's next?" the colonel asked Greenbloom.

"Let's finish it," replied Greenbloom.

Ben's captors let go of the boy, and he sank to the ground in despair. Suddenly, he felt something like glass inside his pants-pocket. _The moon-dew!_ He looked at the injured dragon. _How am I going to reach him on time?_ Ben thought. _What'll happen if_ _ **I**_ _drank it?_ Ben took a deep breath. _I have to give this a shot._ Ben took out the flask and sipped the dew. All at once, he was bursting with energy and strength. He effortlessly pushed the soldiers away, jumped out of the jeep, and started running to Firedrake as fast as he could.

The colonel aimed at Firedrake's chest with a second harpoon. Greenbloom looked at the defeated dragon in victory, and then noticed Ben. _Oh, damn,_ he thought. 

"No! Stop!" Greenbloom shouted, but it was too late.

The harpoon shot through the air. Firedrake looked on in shock as Ben charged up to him, _and jumped into the harpoon's path_.

The boy flew backwards onto Firedrake's chest. He looked up at the sky, his outstretched. Ben felt like everything in his body had shut down. He looked down and saw the bloody harpoon embedded in his chest, just beneath the sternum. He legs crumpled, and he fell to his knees, and about a few moments later, fell over on his right side.

…..

 **Oh, my God! What a cliffhanger! Wonder what'll happen next? Stay tuned!**

 **P.S.: Thank you, Evilkat23, for your reviews and support! Also, if there is any way I can**

 **make this fanfic more known, could you let me know? If anything, help me spread the**

 **word throughout the Dragon Rider fan community about this story. Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey hey! I'm back! I know it's been a whole year, but now I'm almost done with this thing, plus I've begun writing the sequel, "Sky Island." I'm sorry if I kept you guys waiting and thanks for your patience! :)**

Ch. 5 A Special Ingredient

The raven had flown far and wide, searching the closest villages and collecting silver forks, coins, and teacups for Nettlebrand. By morning he made it to the river Indus where his defeated master was waiting for him.

"About time," Nettlebrand seethed underwater. "What have you brought me?"

"Silver coins, two spoons, and a cup," squawked the raven. The raven took the silver items and dropped them into the water. Nettlebrand gobbled them up and waited. Silver scales emerged from his vulnerable pelt, and a thick armor developed on his body. He crawled out of the river, now completely manifest in scales and blood.

"Master, what about your wings?" the raven asked.

Nettlebrand turned his head to the raven and smiled, his sharp fangs bared.

"That's where you come in," he sneered. "I thank you for your servitude. You have been most helpful."

Before he could react, Nettlebrand clasped the raven in his jaws and gobbled him up. A few moments later, two large, gray, feathered wings sprouted from Nettlebrand's back.

"Yes…" he chuckled. He reveled in his newfound visage. He examined himself from head to tail, admiring himself.

"You better watch out, dragons, because I'm back, big time!" Nettlebrand growled. "I'd love to see you try and defeat me now," he laughed.

Just then, a roc flew above him. He gasped as a sudden thought occurred to him.

"Aha!" Nettlebrand laughed. "How about that? Why not a special ingredient?"

Beating his massive wings, Nettlebrand slowly lifted into the air and gave chase. The roc saw the monster and prepared to defend itself, but Nettlebrand just narrowed his eyes. He gave out a belch, releasing his toxic breath. The roc fell from the sky. Nettlebrand stared down at his soon-to-be meal, drool dripping from his lips.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6 The Final Battle

"NO!" Firedrake's eyes widened in horror.

Anthony Greenbloom, the colonel, and the soldiers stopped dead in their tracks.

Benjamin Isaac Hoffman Shaw lay limp on the sand like a downed bird. The flask rested in his left hand.

Everything went still. Anthony felt his incredible accomplishment crumble into little pieces.

 _No… no…_ he thought. _This wasn't supposed to happen!_ He could already feel the sweat on his palms.

Heaving, teeth bared, Firedrake brought his muzzle down to Ben. He glanced at the dumb-struck humans, and a deathly snarl escaped from his throat.

Startled, Ben gasped to life. He stared at Firedrake with wide, hazel eyes. The dragon turned his head in surprise. _He's alive!_ Slowly, Ben pressed his right hand into the sand and pushed himself up onto his knees. Anthony and the military looked on awe and bewilderment. Wincing, Ben pulled the harpoon out from his bloody chest and stood on his two feet. The human boy looked like he was the last warrior standing after a vicious battle.

"Go away," Ben proclaimed. A glare formed across his face. "This dragon… is mine."

Ben turned to his bewildered friend and showed him the flask. The moondew faintly glowed inside. He smirked. Unbeknownst to them, Maia, Sorrel, Burr-Burr Chan, Twigleg, the Greenblooms and Zubeida were watching from a distance in awe.

Zubeida smiled. "He _is_ the Dragon Rider."

Just then, a deafening roar erupted from the sea. Waves crashed against the shoreline, and strong gusts of wind blew across the beach. Driving clouds blocked out the morning sun. The ocean churned and boiled, and then something monstrous emerged up from the deep.

Firedrake, Ben, Anthony, and the soldiers looked up in utter fear and despair.

"No," Ben murmured. He clasped his hands to his head. "You gotta be kidding me."

It was Nettlebrand, but he was no longer a golden dragon. He was a bigger and much more grotesque version of his former self. His silver and metal scales were meshed with raven and roc feathers, making him a truly terrifying freak-of-nature. He emitted a bone-chilling bellow, his sharp, gleaming teeth showing.

The terrified soldiers fled in all directions as Nettlebrand crashed onto the beach. Anthony and the colonel were nearly squashed by the gigantic claws as they abandoned their jeep.

Nettlebrand lunged at Firedrake, but the dragon quickly blew a fireball at his face. Picking up Ben by the coat, he dodged out of the way. The stunned behemoth crashed into the sand.

"Now what're we supposed to do?" cried Ben. "There's no way we can beat that gigantic creep!"

Firedrake put Ben down. "We must work together!" he said. "Give me more moon-dew! Much of it!"

Ben poured almost all of the dew into Firedrake's mouth, just before gulping down the last bit. Clutching the harpoon in his right hand, Ben climbed onto Firedrake's back. He caught a quick glimpse at the dragon's hind leg. The other harpoon was still embedded in his scales, but there was no time to remove it. Nettlebrand got up and lunged at Firedrake again, but the silver dragon shot high up into the sky and hung in midair.

Firedrake looked down at the snarling beast and roared, "Come on! Is that all you got, Nettlebrand?"

Two enormous wings the size of soccer fields emerged from Nettlebrand's back. The monster held his head back and roared.

Ben's eyes were wide with shock. "Did you really have to ask, Firedrake?" Firedrake glared at his monstrous opponent with rage.

"Now we have a fight," he growled.

…..

Firedrake took off into the open sky with Nettlebrand following in hot pursuit. Ben had strapped himself tight to Firedrake's spines, and was clinging on for dear life. The two beasts had flown so high up, it was freezing cold and difficult to breathe. Firedrake hung in the air for a few seconds, then dived down at Nettlebrand and spat fire into his face. Ben had to work with all his might to breathe, otherwise he would have passed out and fallen off of Firedrake. Luckily, the moon-dew Ben had taken seemed to have stopped the chest wound from bleeding, only for the moment.

Nettlebrand furiously attacked Firedrake left and right, but the dragon quickly dodged Nettlebrand's every move and fired several more fireballs at the monster, but instead of getting weaker, Nettlebrand only got angrier and kept launching attacks at the silver dragon.

 _God, I hope that moon-dew holds out long enough,_ Ben thought.

"Firedrake!" Ben called. "What if we blinded Nettlebrand? We can defeat him easier then."

"It's worth a shot," Firedrake replied. "But how shall we do it-" Firedrake had dodge Nettlebrand's jaws again. Nettlebrand roared in frustration.

"Uh-," Ben uttered. "Uh… fly me as close to his head as possible. I got a plan…"

Firedrake gave Ben a worried look, and then glided towards the top of the monster's head. Ben gulped down his fear and held fast to his harpoon.

Without warning, the boy jumped from Firedrake's back and landed dead center in between Nettlebrand's eyes. Ben saw two very big, red eyes glare at him, shining with hatred and death. Ben wasted no time. He rammed the harpoon through Nettlebrand's left eye.

…

Maia, Sorrel, Burr-Burr Chan, Twigleg, the Greenblooms and Zubeida were watching from the ground. Firedrake and Nettlebrand had flown so high up they were merely little dots floating in the sky. The sounds of roaring and explosions echoed across the troposphere. Suddenly, The loudest roar sounded across the sky, and two figures began to plummet back to earth.

"My God," Anthony whispered. He too was watching.

The beasts came closer and closer to the ground. The soldiers and villagers below scattered in panic. Firedrake, with Ben in his claws, was plummeting headfirst with Nettlebrand in tow, his mouth open wide.

"Firedrake!" Maia cried out, horrified.

Firedrake disappeared into Nettlebrand's gaping jaws. He stalled in midair and roared in victory. Everyone on the ground looked up in shock and horror.

Just then, Nettlebrand began to glow. Blue light pierced from underneath his scales and feathers. Nettlebrand's eyes grew wide. He writhed in pain like a bird caught in a wire.

He glowed brighter and brighter, and the monster let out a bellow of agony and despair as the shining blue light ate him up from the inside.

 _ **BOOOOM!**_

Nettlebrand exploded in a thunderous mushroom cloud. The ground violently shook in its wake. Blood, broken scales and feathers rained from the sky and onto the beach. Thick clouds of smoke blanketed the land.

…..

Firedrake lay bruised and battered on the sand. He groaned as he lifted his head to look at Ben. He slumped over his claw, and was not moving.

"Ben..." Firedrake uttered.


End file.
